An Accident Waiting to Happen
by ThexInvisiblexGirl
Summary: Missing scene in 3 parts: what happened from the moment Charlie got the news of Bella's accident until she got back to Forks? Takes place between the last chapter of Twilight and the epilogue. Charlie's POV.
1. The Call

**A/N: hello everyone! Here's another one. The summary says it all, I think. Takes place after the final chapter of _Twilight_ (but before the Epilogue), here's what happened from Charlie's point of view. Comments are LOVE, happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: they're not mine, I'm just playing!**

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**An Accident Waiting to Happen**

**Part I: The Call**

A part of me was waiting for that call.

To say I wasn't sitting by the phone from the moment she stormed out of the house would be a cruel lie. With the state she was in, it was crazy _not_ to sit and wait for a word from her. Not that I believed her final promise to call me. Why should she, when she was so desperate to get away?

That was the part I misunderstood the most – the desperation. It hit beyond the pain her last words inflicted. Was she really so unhappy here with me? She seemed to be readjusting, and she had never complained about anything in school. Was I seeing what I wanted to see, burying my head in the sand while ignoring the obvious? Was she so miserable she wished to go back to Phoenix, to her mother? And what about that boy? Although I didn't like thinking about it, she seemed really into him. What could have happened in that one and single date they had to change it altogether?

The ironic part was that I was actually getting better ever since had she moved in. Suddenly there was a reason to go back from work each evening, not to do three double shifts a week or stay the extra hours. I still had to remind myself that every once in a while; I had been living alone for too long. And yes, we didn't spend that much time together, but I truly believed we were doing okay. Never in my wildest dreams had I believed I'd hear her speak to me like she had done, that I'd hear those horrible words again, the words her mother had spoken...

I was sitting in the dark living-room by the phone, letting the mental images wash over me. The silence was thick, dreadful, as the most horrific scenarios crossed my mind, replacing the memory of her words. Her ancient truck would take a sharp curb too fast, she would lose control on the wheel, hit a tree at the side of the road. She would be caught in a rainstorm and bump into the car ahead of her. In the deserted road, no one would be around to see her, to help her, and by the time someone would call it would be too late. The whole situation was like a ticking bomb, because a part of me knew something was bound to happen. With her, it wasn't even a matter of paternal instincts. Just plain facts.

So when the next day, or early on the third day, the loud shrill of the phone tore into my hasty slumber, I cut it off after just one ring. "Bella?" I asked urgently. I would forgive her everything, all the things she had said, if I just heard her voice.

"No, Chief Swan, this is Alice Cullen," a strange yet pleasant voice replied. My forehead cringed in confusion, my eyes narrowing ever so slightly at the sound of her last name. "I'm Edward's sister," she informed me, confirming my suspicions.

"What do you want?" I didn't mean to come out so rude, but it was – I glanced at the watch by the bedside – a bit after 5AM.

"I'm sorry to be calling you so early, but we figured you would want to know as soon as possible."

I tensed, my senses all alert. Something _was_ wrong. "Know what?"

"Bella – "

The name made all the difference in the world. I cut her off. "Is Bella there with you? Let me talk to her."

"Yes, she's here, but I'm afraid I can't put her on the phone, sir."

I had no patience for sweet-talk and cryptic codes. I didn't need this right now. My nerves were on edge as it was. "Where are you? I'm coming to get her," I said, my legs already swinging from the side of the bed. Then I stopped. Who knew how far she'd gotten.

"We're at Phoenix."

"Did you stalk her there?" I actually wanted to ask if her brother did, but I didn't want to be too rude to her. She had nothing to do with it. _She_ didn't hurt my only child, forced her away. She shouldn't be condemned for her brother's actions.

"No. My brother wanted to come here to talk some sense into her, to send her back to Forks. Only he was so upset, my dad insisted we'd go with him."

So Dr. Cullen was there too. That was a relief. At least the boy wasn't there alone with her. "Why can't you put her on the phone?"

She sighed. "Chief Swan – Charlie – there's no easy way to say this…"

Everything went very still. Bella was dead. That would be the next thing she'd tell me. For the last few days I avoided thinking of the worse, but now it happened. My daughter, dead. It was worse than any kind of accident I had let myself imagine. I mentally braced myself now, preparing myself for her next words.

"She found out we were here and got to our hotel. And being the clumsy girl that she is…" her voice trailed off. She laughed bitterly, fondly. "She should have watched where she was going. She fell down the stairs…"

Paralyzed from her neck down, hurt her spine. That was even _worse_!

I didn't even realize I had stopped listening, that she had stopped talking, until she said hesitantly, "I'd better let Carlisle explain it to you."

It didn't take more than a second before Dr. Cullen's familiar voice took over the crackling line, but it felt like much longer. "Charlie?"

"How is she?"

"She broke her leg and a few ribs when she fell. She has a minor concussion and some bruises and superficial injuries. I examined her myself. There's no reason to panic, but we just thought you'd want to know she was okay."

Something felt damp at the corner of my eyes. I was horrified to realize they were tears. The injuries he had just described to me sounded horrific, and yet… there was only one thing that mattered. "She's not… dead?"

"No, just badly injured. Nothing time cannot cure."

"Does her mother know? Maybe I should – "

"We managed to contact Renée, and she's with Bella right now."

This 'we' again. I resented it. If anything, it made me feel all left out. They were all there with her, assured of her safety, while I was left here alone in the dark, having to trust _them_ with reassurances. I felt so useless. There was nothing I could possibly do for her in this distance. "Is your son there with her?"

"He wouldn't leave her side," was the doctor's quiet reply, almost as if he was trying to apologize for his son's behavior.

I was trying to tell myself that the rage that was burning within me wasn't justified, that it wasn't really Edward Cullen's fault that she was injured.

Only it was.

She wouldn't have run off if it wasn't for him. She wouldn't have been injured if he didn't come after her, no matter how good his intentions were. A part of me still wondered what brought it all up. Bella wasn't one to panic over things, so I didn't buy her panic over getting too deep with this guy. And I sort of believed her when she said he didn't hurt her. He didn't seem the type. He looked fairly decent when I met him, right before all hell broke loose. There was this maturity about him, almost as if he was way older than his 17 years.

Sort of like my Bella.

"Charlie? Are you still there?" Carlisle's voice pierced through my pressing thoughts.

"Which hospital is she in? I'm coming there," I said, mostly to distract myself.

"There's really no point for you to go all the way up here, Charlie."

"What are you talking about? It's my daughter!"

"Yes, but it might be better for you to stay home." He paused, hesitant. "They're keeping her heavily sedated because of the severity of her injuries. She won't even know you're there."

Although earlier I thought she might be dead, that I had already lost her, somehow this new revelation unnerved me even more.

"I promise we'll let you know as soon as there's a change in her condition."

"How long do you think she'll stay that way?"

"It's hard to tell until she's conscious. Her leg is in a cast, so that might take longer to heal, but I believe she'll be out of here in two weeks' time, perhaps three."

Although she was due for a long recovery, relief surged through me again. And now when I was somewhat more subdued, it dawned on me that I probably owed my daughter's life to the man on the other end. "Carlisle, I don't know how to thank you – if you weren't there – she could – "

"She's going to be okay, Charlie. I give you my word."

And the craziest thing was that suddenly, I believed him.


	2. Forgiven

**Part II: Forgiven**

A week passed, but I hardly noticed. I only went to work because I had to, although the guys at the station – who only knew the rough details – were very considerate and constantly pressed me to just take the time off, an offer to which I always declined. Being alone at home watching for the phone was torture enough in the hours I had done it after work; there was no way I could spend an entire day that way.

Bella's first days at the hospital were uneventful, as I learned from Carlisle. Loyal to his word, he kept me up-to-date with the tiniest change in her condition, calling me twice, sometimes even three times a day. Her wounds were healing well, he said, and it was only a question of her body being strong enough to take her off the painkillers.

I should have felt better after each phone call, but I didn't. It made me feel all helpless. I was here, keeping my life routine, while my only daughter was fighting her life in a far away hospital. Well, maybe that was a dramatic way to put it, but the part about her being away was true. It was like the feeling I used to get whenever she left Forks after spending summertime with me, this emptiness that refused to be filled. Only now, after she was here for more than just a summer, the emptiness grew fiercer. I think what made it even worse was the way I had convinced myself she was here to stay. I guessed I had never truly realized how lonely I was up here, until she was gone.

On Friday I finally listened to the guys at work and did what I had not done in years – I found someone to cover for me, and started the weekend early. I wasn't in a state to do my job properly anyway, out of focus, out of balance, sleep-deprived. When Billy Black invited me to spend the weekend in La Push, I refused, saying I wasn't feeling well. I knew better than telling him about Bella's… accident. I knew how he felt about the Cullens even before my daughter had started dating with one of them, and I didn't know how patiently I would handle Billy's accusations, and he was sure to make them. So when he asked about Bella, I just briefly mentioned she was spending the weekend with her mom in Arizona.

The day passed in a haze. By dusk I was so tired; I knew it meant I would probably get some sleep tonight. Finally, I thought. All this worry was doing me no good.

I passed by Bella's room on my way downstairs. It was just like she left it a week ago. The bed was hastily made, and her CD player rested against the pillows, now deserted. There was a pile of books on the floor by her bed, some more on her bedside and about a dozen more on the shelf by the desk. There were text books, notebooks and CDs scattered all over her tiny desk. A smile sneaked unto my lips in spite of my otherwise gloomy mood. I was so happy she made herself at home, even in a room so small. It looked comfortable.

_I really, really hate Forks!_

Or maybe I saw what I wanted to see again. Maybe I was fooling myself. She wouldn't have tried to escape the first chance she had if she liked it here. She wouldn't have been as impulsive as her mother at the time. She would have given me – _us_ – a fair chance.

Downstairs, the phone was ringing. Slowly, I shut the door to her room behind me, and made my way downstairs in contemplative silence. "Hello?" I said absentmindedly.

"Charlie?"

I became alert in an instant. "Renée? What's up? How's Bella?"

"She's good, Charlie, she's really good!" she gushed. I could hear the smile in her voice. I collapsed on the armchair in relief. "She's been awake for a few hours now, and she's refusing the painkillers, the silly girl, I think we'll have to force them on her. She's still in pain, but you know her, trying to be the hero…"

I didn't hear the rest of her excited babble. Suddenly, nothing else mattered. My baby was okay.

"Still there, Charlie?"

I blinked. "Yeah – sorry – that's great news, Renée. Tell her – " I swallowed the lump that formed down my throat with difficulty. "Tell her I miss her."

"Well, actually, Charlie, she really wants to talk to you."

"She does?" I asked, caught off-guard.

On the other end, Renée laughed softly. I closed my eyes, shutting out each old emotion that surfaced at the sound. "She's been asking about you since she opened her eyes, of course she does."

To say I was surprised to hear it didn't even begin to cover how I felt.

"There's a doctor round just now so I can't put her on the phone, but she'll call you back in a few minutes, okay?"

Those were probably the longest few minutes in my life.

The next time the phone rang, I took my time answering it. My hand was on the receiver, ready to pick it up, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was relieved she was well enough to talk, but I wasn't sure I could face whatever she had to tell me. What else was left to say? She made it all quite clear a week ago. She had made her choice.

And then I realized how childishly I was behaving, and I quickly picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Dad?"

The lump down my throat was back, thicker than before. I slowly let out a huge breath I didn't even know I was holding. "Hi, Bells."

"Are you okay?"

For a moment I sat there dumbfounded, unsure whether I was supposed to laugh or cry at her question. She was hospitalized, she had been sedated for a week, and _she_ was asking _me_ if _I_ was okay. But then again, if I was honest… "I've been better."

I thought I heard her sigh, but I wasn't sure. "I bet," she said quietly. She hesitated, but when she next spoke, it was with earnest. "Listen, dad, I wanted to… apologize. Not just for worrying you for the last week, but for leaving like I did… and saying those things to you… I didn't mean half of it."

"So you did mean some?" I asked tersely. I couldn't help it.

"Not the parts that hurt you." There was a pause, as if she was letting it sink in. "I want to go back… if you'll have me."

"I thought you didn't want to make any more roots in this stupid, boring town." I felt bad quoting her words back to her, but I needed to be certain. I needed to know she wasn't asking me to take her back just to make me feel better.

"Could we just… pretend I've never said all those things to you?"

"I honestly don't know if I can do that, Bella." The memory was painful, extremely so. I knew I should focus on the positive side of things. She was alive and fairly well, and she was speaking to me, pleading my forgiveness. I _could_ try and make an effort. "But I can promise to try."

"That's good enough for me." There was a smile in her voice now, but she sounded weary. I wondered if I should send her off to bed, but the selfish part of me wanted to hold on to the sound of her voice for a little longer.

And then I remembered something, and my momentarily bliss was disrupted. "What about Edward Cullen?"

She didn't miss a beat. "What about him?"

"Is he the reason you're so thrilled to come back?" I was amazed at how resentful my tone was. I felt ridiculous – jealous that a 17-year-old boy held more interest to her in this godforsaken town than her own father.

She hesitated, but then replied quietly, "He's part of it."

I wanted to know more, but I knew I wouldn't like what she had to tell me, so I kept quiet. There would be more than enough time to discuss it all, when she was back home.

And once I thought that, I knew I wouldn't be able to give her another answer. Of course I wanted her back, more than anything. "You will never, _ever_, do that to me again."

She laughed softly. "I promise."

"In that case, welcome home, kid."

"Thanks, dad." I could hear her yawn at the other end.

"You'd better get some rest now, Bells. I'll call back soon."

"Okay." She faltered, but then added hesitantly, "I love you, dad."

And in spite of my anger, my pain, my panic, my heart melted. "I love you too, baby. Sleep well."

I knew that after a week of torturous insomnia, I would be sleeping well tonight, too.

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**If you made it till here, thanks for reading. Reviews are still lovely :)**


	3. Balance

**A/N: hi everyone, here's the last installment. thanks for reading - review if you liked it please :)**

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Part III: Balance

I remembered the day it had all started with that phone call, the one I had no choice but to anticipate. Four weeks had passed. Four weeks, three days, twenty-something hours, since the nightmare began. Four weeks in which I had become a complete wreck. There was nothing in my waking hours but my worry for my daughter.

Hearing her voice had done very little to reassure me. It was easier to handle when I only had Carlisle's updates to rely on. Now when she was talking to me – at least once a day – it had only made my ache for her stronger. I wanted her home. Each passing day increased the loneliness. The silence echoed from each wall, ridiculing me. How the hell did I manage that before she came? It seemed almost impossible to grasp now.

We spoke a little each time. I didn't want to keep her awake for long, hearing how weak she still was. And I didn't want starting conversations I thought had to be made face-to-face. Like conversations about Edward Cullen. He was still there, blatantly ignoring the fact he was missing his fourth week of school. His father and sister were still there as well, which was somewhat comforting to me. The word at the hospital was that it was some sort of a family emergency that had kept Dr. Cullen away. I was grateful for his discretion.

When time had passed and more of Billy's invitations to come to the reservation went unanswered, I had to explain the situation to him. Well, part of the situation. All I said was that Bella was involved in an accident while visiting her mother in Phoenix. I said nothing about the Cullens' involvement, and there was no reason for him to suspect it.

They were due to land in Seattle in a few hours, and I had been a wreck from the moment I opened my eyes that morning. I couldn't do anything right. It was clearly the time for another day off work, but even that was proven as quite useless. I rolled the scenarios in my head, wondered what I was going to tell her. Would I be able to look her in the eye after everything? A part of me still felt like slapping her for the way she had spoken to me; the other part wanted to crash her to me with a huge hug and never let go. There had to be a way to balance the two so I wouldn't frighten her off so soon after I had gotten her back.

And then there was the Cullen situation. How serious were things between her and that boy? I wasn't sure I liked the idea of him being her boyfriend, not when she first brought it up, and surely not now. But surely denying things from her would make things worse, wouldn't it? I had to be careful now, knowing that every little thing might take her away from me. And then again, how _could_ I deny it from her, if this was what she wanted? Wasn't she old enough to decide what was best for her?

But surely I had a say in the matter. I was her father, after all. This Edward guy seemed to be listening to his own dad; surely my daughter would have to listen to me? And I had to draw the line now, before it was too late. It wasn't that I didn't trust Bella's judgment, but she had proven to be more like her mother than I thought her capable of. And I meant what I said to her in that first conversation after she recovered. She would never do that to me again. Once was more than enough.

I tried to concentrate on the game on TV, but I was really straining to listen to the sound of the road. Carlisle called me briefly when their flight landed, but that felt like hours ago. They should have been here by now. Twilight was falling now, the wind grew stronger. A storm was due tonight. I hoped they'd make it home ahead of it.

I would give him a chance, I decided then. If this was what Bella wanted, I was able to rise above my prejudice, above my resentment. I was able to accept him – and I would – for her sake. He did show incredible devotion to her in the past few weeks. He must care for her a little bit. And I'd just have to accept the idea that my child was growing up. She would be 18 in a few months. If Edward Cullen was a mistake, she'd simply have to learn from it.

And then there was a sound of a car pulling into the driveway. I was by the door in an instant.

It was a black car – Mercedes, no less – coming to a stop. The windows were tinted black; I couldn't see anyone no matter how hard I squinted. A tall figure was out of the back seat before the driver even killed the engine. My eyes narrowed reflexively when I recognized Edward Cullen. He hadn't noticed me yet; he circled the car purposefully, reaching for the other passenger door before the others were even out of the car. I could feel my decisiveness crumpling into small pieces. The rage I thought I was over with came back full-force, breaking through the mask of composure I worked so hard to maintain. I held my breath, because I knew she was there next to him in the back seat, she was the reason he was in such a hurry to leave the car for. And sure enough, by the time Carlisle left the driver's seat and joined Edward in the back, I could see her, being led slowly out of the car. The bruises on her face were invisible in the growing darkness. She held the car's roof for support. There was a brief inaudible exchange after which Carlisle swept her in his arms, cradling her against his chest. Edward looked displeased.

It was then when Bella's eyes darted towards the front door, and our gazes met. Thousand emotions crossed her face; she snuggled closer to Carlisle's chest, for support it seemed. Behind them, Edward's face wrinkled with an emotion I didn't recognize.

I wanted so badly to run to her, to be more useful to her than standing and staring the way I did, but it was as if my legs were glued to the spot. And then they came into full view, and a gasp escaped me. Now I understood why he was helping her out of the car. Her leg was set in a _huge_ cast. A shudder went through me. It was worse than I had ever allowed myself to imagine. How on earth did she manage _that_?

Carlisle stopped in front of me then, and I could see that Bella was hardly awake. Her eyes stared at mine, unfocused. She looked exhausted after their long trip. Her face was contorted in pain. I heard myself gasp again. "She's fine, Charlie," Carlisle assured me, as if he could read the dread in my expression. "It's just time for her medication; she refused to take it on the road."

I nodded, distracted. Slowly, I brought my hand to touch her cheek. She looked so cold, so fragile. She clearly wasn't dressed for the dropping temperatures, I thought with sudden dismay. Her eyes held my gaze, and I nodded reassuringly. I wasn't mad, and I hadn't changed my mind. She was still welcome. A small smile crept on her lips. Beyond all the pain in her expression, she looked relieved.

"I'd better get her to bed," said Carlisle. "Where…"

"It's upstairs, the first door across from the stairs," I said, nodding towards her window above us. I should have turned the heat on, I berated myself. Or at least add a few extra blankets up there.

"Don't worry, Chief Swan," said a girl with a boyish haircut I didn't recognize. This one had to be Alice Cullen, I realized. I looked at her in dazed confusion. "My dad will take a good care of her." And with that, she gracefully followed her father inside, to attend Bella.

Which left me alone with Edward Cullen.

To be honest, I was surprised he didn't lead the way upstairs. Surely he didn't look as if he wanted to be away from her for too long. It was different than any scenario I had in my head. In those imaginary scenarios I'd punch him, banish him from my house, yell at him that it was all his fault and he was not to see Bella ever again. In reality, I kept quiet, and stole glances at him whenever I thought he wasn't looking. The silence was thick, awkward. There was so much I wanted to say to him, to blame him for, but I wasn't sure how to begin.

"Sir," he started then, somewhat hesitantly, but his eyes were confident. "There is no way to express how sorry I am that things have gotten to this. I wanted you to know that I hold myself fully responsible for what happened, and that I'm taking it on myself to make sure Bella is back on her feet in no time." He snorted bitterly then, and smiled apologetically at me. "No pun intended."

I stared at him speechless. To say he had caught me off-guard would be an understatement. I wasn't expecting him to be so sincere about this whole thing. For a moment, my own feelings were in a blur. I was supposed to resent him, not listen to him. He was the reason she had run off in the first place; if it wasn't for him…

A vision of her with the huge cast on flashed through me, painful like a punch to my stomach. The panic from the past few weeks was rushing back in a different form now. I was relieved that she was safe and finally home, but my relief was incomplete. There was this unresolved issue to get over with. "Give me one reason why I should allow you to step into this house again after everything that's happened in the past few weeks," I told him.

"If it was up to me, I'd say there is no such reason, sir," he replied in this annoying honesty again. "But this seems to be what Bella wants. I'm here for as long as she needs me to. If you let me."

I narrowed my eyes at his confession. Soft light suddenly washed the front porch. I looked up at Bella's window; there were shadows dancing across the floor at my feet. Carlisle and Alice were getting Bella in bed, I assumed. I was about to walk in when I suddenly remembered he was still standing there, his hands in the pockets of his jacket. Waiting for an approval, it seemed.

"You can come in. For tonight. But I need to have a good think about it," I warned him, giving him my most intimidating Chief Swan look.

"I appreciate it, sir," he nodded solemnly, and followed me in. It annoyed me that as hard as I was trying to find flaws in him, I could find none.

Bella looked better when I finally stepped into the room. There was color back in her cheeks now, and there was a thick blanket tucked around her, but her eyes were closed. Her tiny room looked unbelievably packed with everyone there. Edward was leaning against the doorframe as if he didn't dare moving closer to her as long as I was in the room.

"I gave her some morphine to ease the pain," Carlisle informed me in a hushed voice. "It will knock her down for a while, hopefully until tomorrow morning. I'll come back to check on her then."

"Thank you so much for doing this, Carlisle."

"It is my pleasure. She's due for a long recovery, but I dare say she will be alright in no time."

"I sure hope so." I hesitated, but then turned to face Edward. From his spot by the door, his eyes were all for her as he was watching her anxiously. "You can come and see her tomorrow, if you want."

Edward nodded, his expression grave. "Thank you, sir, I will."

"We'd better go now," said Carlisle, rightly interpreting my words as goodbye. "Alice? Edward?"

But Edward didn't turn right away. He glanced at me briefly before he left his spot and advanced towards her bed. He knelt by her side and took her hand. She stirred in her sleep, but didn't open her eyes. She looked well out of it. I watched as he brought her hand to his lips, touching it briefly, and then slowly releasing it. I found myself transfixed by his motions, in spite of myself. A part of me still wanted to kick him out of the room, but I was unable to. Somehow I knew this was not what Bella wanted me to do.

"We'll show ourselves out, Charlie," Carlisle said then, shaking me out of my reverie. I nodded, noticing that somehow Edward was by his father's side. Alice was ahead of them, leading the way. I thanked them again, and they left her room with murmured goodbyes. Shortly afterwards I could hear the quiet murmur of their car, and they were on their way.

I turned to look at Bella. She slept on, uninterrupted. I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding. She was home, safe in her bed. I left her room briefly then just to lock up and turn off the lights downstairs. While back in her room, I settled myself in the rocking chair in the corner, and prepared myself for what was sure to be a long night.

I wasn't sure what was it that woke me up, but suddenly my eyes snapped open. I was sore and stiff from the long sitting. I robbed my eyes, mentally scolding myself. I didn't mean to fall asleep. What if Bella needed me at some point of the night? Wasn't that the whole purpose of staying there with her? I stole a glance at her. The blanket that was wrapped so protectively around her was hardly covering her now, half tossed across the bed. The chair creaked when I got up to tuck her in again.

Her eyelids flattered ever so slightly. "Edward?" she murmured hoarsely, slowly opening her eyes.

"No, Bells, it's me," I said quietly just when her eyes settled on me. She looked disoriented with sleep and medications, but her gaze soon became more alert. I would not resent the fact she was seeking for him, I told myself stubbornly.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know." I watched her closely. She looked weary, but not in pain. For the umpteenth time, I was grateful for Dr. Cullen. He had done so much for her; so much more than I could have done. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I think." Her eyes moved from me to the rocking chair, and back to me again. She gave me a disproving look. "You didn't have to sleep here, dad. You'll hurt your back."

"I thought you might need something during the night," I shrugged off her concern. I was trying to appear nonchalant, but she saw beyond my act.

"Thank you," she said, reaching for my hand. Her hand was cold in spite of the stuffiness in the room. I wrapped my hand around hers, giving it a little squeeze. "For more than just spending the night here, I mean," she added, looking shy all of a sudden. She sighed, then winced, as if the motion was painful to her. When she next looked at me, her expression was heart-wrenching. "I really messed up, didn't I?"

"It's nothing time can't cure," I assured her, smiling bitterly when I realized Dr. Cullen had used the same words in order to reassure _me_, not too long ago. I offered her a warmer smile then, and she returned it after a moment of hesitation. She said nothing further, but she didn't have to. I could see the regret in her eyes. Whatever made her say those horrible things, I could see now she didn't mean them. Not the way her mother had done, years back.

And reassurance, I assumed, brought courage. "So what's the story? With Edward I mean. You guys are back together now?" I asked. I sort of hoped we got rid of _that_ situation, for good, but the way she was asking for him before she even opened her eyes implied otherwise. So I thought I'd just ask and get it out of my system.

It looked like she was blushing, but it was hard to tell in the faint moonlight. "Yeah, I guess you can say that, dad."

"I don't like it," I muttered, thinking once more of the reason she had gotten herself into this trouble in the first place.

"Dad," she said, reaching for my hand again. "You can ground me from now until I'm 30. I won't hold it against you – I know I deserve it. But please don't blame Edward. I know you think it all happened because of him, but the truth is that he saved my life."

"His father saved your life, Bella."

"You weren't there, dad."

Something about her reminding me of this fact hurt beyond belief. That's right, I wasn't there. But I should have been. I could still remember the helplessness, the panic, the tumble of emotions that first phone call had inflicted. I remembered how I feared the worst, how I thought she was dead. I remembered the relief in hearing her voice, of learning she was getting better…

I remembered the decision I had made right before she got back home. Balance was a tricky thing. She clearly didn't want him away, and counting on his promise, he was clearly not going anywhere. And she was an adult, so I had to respect her wishes, no matter how wrong I thought they were. Let her make her own mistakes.

I looked at her. Her eyes looked huge, pleading, so much like her mother's that it was painful to resist them. But I had to. "If I'm letting him back here, it's gonna be with a few conditions," I warned her, struggling to sound authoritative. She frowned slightly, but didn't try to protest. "And no, I won't ground you until you're 30," I added, trying to break the tense atmosphere in the room. She didn't look amused, but she didn't seem mad either. She obviously saw it coming. But I didn't want it to come between us now. We needed a fresh start. Slowly, I released my hand from underneath hers and reached to caress her hair back. "Why don't we focus on you're getting better for now?"

She nodded, and didn't try to fight it when her eyelids drooped. Soon she was fast asleep, her breathing soft and even. I watched her for a moment longer before I returned to my spot at the corner of the room. We were due to some hard times now, with her healing, and the Edward situation, and who knew how many more accidents on her side. I wasn't thrilled to face any of them. But at least she was back here, with me. At least I didn't lose her as I feared I had. I stole another glance at my only child, and then, reassured of her safety, and more peaceful than I had been in days, I let my eyes close and drifted into dreamless, welcome slumber.


End file.
